Method for preparing spinach for canning



.Dec. 4, 1934. I R ANDERSON 1,982,944

METH'QD FOR PREPARING SPINACH FOR CANNING' Filed Nov. 2, "1931' In'venmr Patented Dec. 4, 1934 v 1,982,944

1,982,944 v v METHOD roa rarzranmc srnucn roa CANNING Earl R. Anderson, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Food Machinery Corporation, San Jose, Call, a corporation of Delaware Application November 2, 1931, Serial No. 572,465

9 Claims. (01. 99-8) This invention relates to a process for preparconsiderable degree, and the subsequent blanching spinach orother green leaf vegetables for ing of the spinach may be carried out at a lower canning, and more particularly to a process and temperature and in a greatly reduced period of apparatus for preparing spinach wherein the time. .5 spinach is crushed before blanching. In carrying out the process embodied in my in- It is an object of this invention to provide a vention, the spinach is washed in any suitable or method and operation for preparing spinach or desirable type of washer, preferably of the conother green leaf vegetables for canning wherein tinuous type. v the reduction of the bulk of the spinach or other After the spinach is washed to remove the 19 green leaf vegetable is obtained resulting in a foreign matter therefrom, it is subjected to the saving of time by a shorter blanching step, a savaction of water, steam, heated air, or the like, to ing in steam by the use of lower blanching temraise the temperature 'of the spinach or other peratures, and wherein the expense of equipment green leaf vegetables to prevent splitting of the is saved by the greater capacities obtained. stems on subsequent treatment. I .15 Another object of this invention is to provide a After the spinach has been treated to raise process for preparing spinach or other green leaf the temperature thereof it is subjected to the vegetables for canning in which process the gases action of a crushing device which crushes the are released from the stems prior to the blanchspinach or other green leaf vegetable reducing the ing of the spinach or other green leaf vegetables, bulk thereof and resulting in the compression of g9 reducing the oxidationand destruction of color. stems thereof so that the gases contained therein Another object of this invention is to provide a are released and so that the soluble matter conmethod of preparing spinach or other green leaf tained in the stems may be subsequently removed. vegetables for canning wherein water soluble sub- After the spinach has been crushed it is washed stances are removed from the stems, which subto remove the soluble coloring matter and is stances cause dark liquor in the canned products, thereafter blanched in any suitable or desirable and which,ifleft,willdestroy,the color properties form of blanching apparatus. The spinach or of the green pigments of the leaves of spinach other green leaf vegetable is preferably sent or other green leaf vegetables. 1 through a continuous blancher where it .is sub- Another object of this invention is to provide a. jected to the action of hot water and the period ,30 method and apparatus for Canning p ach oftime required for blanching the spinach after wh r the Spinach is W h ri p is it has been processed as hereinabove ,set forth is then removed, the spinach is crushed, washed and materially reduced and a material reduction of then blanched and chilled. the temperature required for blanching is at- Other objects and advantages of this invention tain d,

it is believed will be apparent from the following This process enables me to eliminate rblling detailed rip of Preferred embodiment heretofore practiced following blanching, which thereof as illustrated in th acc mp n dreW- rolling operation must be very carefully followed ing. in order to avoid mushing of the spinach, and In the drawing: this process also enables me to prepare the spin- 40 The figure i a diagrammatic V w ra n ach for canning at temperatures where the spinthe apparatus used i c i s out my invehtienach or other green leaf vegetable never reaches In the preparing f pi h and other green the break-down temperature of the cells thereof. leaf vegetables for canning, considerable difllculty The apparatus embodying my invention has b n eheelrintered in the handling of the sists preferably of a paddle washer 1 into which 45 spinach to retain more natural color and clear t spinach 1; first i t d d, d f whi h iq lf in the Canned Pr d the spinach is conveyed by means of a conveyor I have found that a considerable portion of this As t spinach leaves t washer 1, t is trouble is caused by water soluble matter conjected t t action 1' Spray 3 for th purpose tained and gases"carried in the stems of the of washing from t spinach t foreign t- 5: spinach or green leaf vegetables. I have also t adhering th t Th spinach i conveyed found that if the spinach 0 gr n l vegetable by the conveyor 2 into a second washer 4, which is treated after.- it is washed so that the stems of is preferably of the double section spray type the spinach are crushed t relea e the gases therewhere the spinach on the conveyor 2 is subjected in, and to enable the removal of the water soluble to the action of washing waterfrom a spray 5 ;;substances, this difliculty is obviated to a as it is conveyed to the first section 6 of the double section spray washer 4. The spinach passes from the first section 6 ofthe washer 4 to the second section '7 thereof over a dividing partition 8 upon the conveyor 2.

In the second section '1 it' is subjected to the action of a further spray 9 of wash water while it is being conveyed through the washer 4 on the conveyor 2. When the spinach leaves the washer 4 on the conveyor 2, it is treated to remove the crispness of the spinach by subjecting it to the action of heat, preferably in the form of warm water from a spray 11 in a rinsing shaker 10.

The shaker 10 may be of any suitable or desirable construction, which is well understood in the art, and the spinach in this shaker is subjected to a shaking apparatus for shaking from the spinach the last of the adhering foreign matter.

The spinach is discharged from the rinsing shaker 10 into a crushing device, which is preferably in the form of a continuous press 12 within which the spinach is crushed. The continuous press 12 includes a conveyor 13 by which the spinach is conveyed through the press 12, and as the spinach is conveyed through the press 12,

it is subjected to the action of crushing rollers temperature great enough for a sufliciently long .periodof time to cook or scald the spinach, there is no danger of mushing the spinach during this operation. The crushing of the spinach results in the releasing of the gas fromthe stems of the spinach, and also so conditions the stems of thespinach that the soluble matter contained therein may be subsequently removed from the stems prior to the blanching of the spinach or green leaf vegetable.

The spinach from the crusher is delivered to an inclined conveyor 18 upon which it is subjected to a spray of washing water where the soluble matter released by the prior crushing step is washed from the spinach or other green leaf vegetable.

The spinach or green leaf vegetable is deliveredby the conveyor 18 preferably into a conveyor type blancher 19 which is of any suitable or' desirable construction, and through which the spinach or green leaf vegetable is continuously conveyed. The temperature of water within the blancher 19 may be considerably reduced over that utilized in the blanching of the spinach which has not first been subjected to the crush-v ing and washing steps heretofore described.

After the spinach passes through the blancher 19, it is canned in any suitable or desirable manner well known in the art.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited table.

5. In a continuous process of treating spinachmove soluble coloring matter, and blanching to the details herein set forth, but my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a process of treating spinach or green leaf vegetables for canning, the steps of washing the spinach, crushing the spinach, and then blanching the spinach.

2. A method of treating spinach'or green leaf vegetables for canning, including the steps of washing the spinach, subjecting the spinach to the action of warm water, crushing the spinach, and then blanching the spinach.

3. A process of treating spinach for canning, including the steps of washing the spinach, raising the temperature of the spinach, crushing the spinach, and then blanching the spinach.

4. The process of treating spinach or other green leaf vegetable for canning, including the steps of washing the spinach or other green leaf vegetable, treating, by raising the temperature thereof, the spinach or other green leaf vegetable to remove the crispness, crushing the spinach or other green leaf vegetable, washing the spinach or other green leaf vegetable to remove water soluble substances from the stems, and then blanching for canning, the stepsof passing spinach continuously through a washing bath, passing the spinach through a bath of warm water, crushing the spinach to allow escape of gasfrom the stems thereof, and then blanching the spinach. j

6. A process of treating spinach or other green leaf vegetable, including the steps of passing the vegetable continuously through a washing bath, then raising the temperature of the vegetable, crushing the vegetable to release the gas from the stems thereof, blanching, and then chilling the vegetable.

7. In a process of preparing green leaf vegetables for canning, the steps including washing the green leaf vegetable, subjecting itto warm water, steam, or heated air to increase the temperature, crushing the green leaf vegetable, washing the crushed green leaf vegetableto rethe green leaf vegetable. I r

8. In a process of preparing green leaf vegetables for canning, the steps including the washing of the vegetable, subjecting 'itto warm streams of water or heated air to increase the the spinach or other green leaf vegetemperature thereof, compressing the stems of to compress the stems thereof, and then blanching the spinach.

EARL R. ANDERSON. 

